(not this photo, go look at the article to see which one was used)

I’m lucky to have met the author Darby Smith, the night we went to Cafe Nordo.
We were there on the second night of the show, so we were among some of the foodie-rati of Seattle. Also at our table was Misha Berson, from the Seattle Times. Her review of the show is here.

When my friends Stuart and Julie invited me to Cafe Nordo on my visit to Seattle, I just said yes. They know me well and I trust them if they say ‘Just say yes, it’s gonna be awesome.’ Am I glad I went!

We were steeped in wine, great food, terrific company (both the company I came with and the company we met at our table), and fantastic performance, courtesy of some of the players from the now-defunct Circus Contraption.

The show itself was working out the kinks, but any hitches were played off well by the cast. The fourth wall was regularly broken, in fact we were seated on the inside of that wall! The humor was playfully dark, and the teachings about sustainability were not too heavy-handed. The presentation of each dish–creative enough had they just been handed us directly–hilarious, unpredictable and beautiful.

The food, oh the food! The term ‘delightful’ doesn’t begin to cover it. The first course- the room darkens, and we’re listening to the pitch and sway of our ship on the high seas, watching the Northern Lights play on the sky above. Server ninjas sneak something on to our dishes when we’re not looking, and the Lights get bright enough for us to taste it, while listening to the story of the birth of the universe. It’s creamy, like good uni- and then *BANG POW* in m mouth! What the..? POP ROCKS?? The reality of this dish occurs to me just as I hear Julie giggle in the dark to my right. I know we’re in for an imaginative meal.

The geoduck sashimi salad on perfectly fresh seaweed, the seafood fete served in AN AQUARIUM, with hot broth poured from tea kettles, the salmon was so fresh that Mr Misha remarked, “That. Is a recently deceased fish.” Our very own Baked Alaska for dessert, replete with sugar ‘beach glass’ on top!

The plot wasn’t as strong as the character development, but we got a great sprinkling of real history of the area. The characters were named after salmon, the tables were named after.. islands? Did I mention there was a different local wine with each course? Delicious. I only wish there had been coffee served at the end.

We staggered around the corner to Cafe Ladro to sober up enough to drive, already nostalgic for the evening we’d just shared. We made new friends, ate amazing food, were entertained and we learned something. A wholesome night out, and it was worth every penny.

It never occurred to me that I might be gluten-intolerant. I’m so glad I did this cleanse (for lack of a better word). Next time I’m in Seattle, I’ll eat bread for a week beforehand, and go get my blood tested for the immune response known as celiac disease, but regardless of the outcome of that test, I know that I feel better when I don’t eat wheat. I didn’t know that I was experiencing symptoms, and that it was possible to not have to deal with them. Historically- skin issues, depression, IBS, weight gain- all could be related to gluten intolerance. Add all this to my wonky, underproducing thyroid, and it’s been no picnic. However, now I know there’s a whole world of healthy feeling opening up to me!

I baked my first gluten-free thing yesterday- banana bread! It’s delicious, and just as good as any gluteny bread. The secret seems to be xanthan gum. It makes a sort of gummy binding, similar to how gluten threads bind bread together. I’m excited about Bob’s Red Mill GF (BRMGFF) flour because frankly, I wasn’t looking forward to filling a pantry with ten different kinds of flour, just to bake a cookie. Which I may do someday, but I’m glad that today I can just bake, using BRMGFF and xanthan gum.

At first I felt like the world shrank in on me- how could I live without gluten?! And then my perspective opened up again. I learned of a GF bakery here in Oakland (whose stuff is delicious), a couple of friends who are GF, and even a pizza restaurant who offers a GF crust AND delivers! So I’m feeling hopeful about a future without gluten, with a ton of terrific food, and feeling great.

Here’s some great information on organic gardening, pest management, and urban animal husbandry in the east bay. Included also are sources for compost, soil testing, and DIY garden projects. [note: this information is from a list that was provided by City Slicker Farms (CSF).]

Gardening basics:

Organic Gardening magazine offers a simple, straightforward introduction to planting seeds and seedlings.

The Ecology Center offers the East Bay Planting Guide, a helpful resource about what can be planted at which time of year. The Ecology Center offers information on non-toxic weed control, and also maintains calendar of “green” Bay Area events – many of which are workshops that would be useful to urban gardeners.

If you have questions about care and health of your plants you can contact the Alameda County Master Gardeners Plant Doctor hotline.

Biofuel Oasis in Berkeley, CA offers classes in urban farming, chickens and beekeeping, and has an urban feed store.

Institute of Urban Homesteading in Oakland, CA offers classes on urban farming, chickens, beekeeping, herbalism, greywater, and other urban eco skills.

Garden for the Environment in San Francisco, CA offers classes on urban gardening, composting, fruit tree care and pruning, etc.

Alemany Farm in San Francisco, CA is an urban farm that offers workshops and the Ecological Horticulture Training Program.

Soil testing:

We recommend testing your soil for possible heavy metal contamination, as well as nutrients and pH. The University of Massachusetts Amherst Soil and Plant Tissue Testing Lab ( site offers instructions for sampling soil and sending it in for analysis).

Composting:

Making your own compost is easy to do! Some books we like are Let It Rot by Stu Campbell and Worms Eat My Garbage by Mary Appelof.

Master Composter (and City Slicker Farms executive director) Barbara Finnin demonstrating worm composting!

Discounted compost bins and worm compost bins are available to Alameda County residents through Stop Waste.

Tools:

You can borrow tools you need from the tool lending library (how cool is a TOOL LENDING LIBRARY?!). The Oakland Tool Lending Library is at the Temescal Branch, 5205 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, CA 94609, (510) 597-5089

The Berkeley Tool Lending Library is at 1901 Russell St., Berkeley CA 94703, (510) 981-6101

Trucks:

If you need access to a vehicle to haul compost, wood, and so forth, you might consider joining a car share. City Car Share (http://www.citycarshare.org/) and Zip Car (http://www.zipcar.com/) both operate in the Bay Area, and both have pickup trucks available to members, at hourly and daily rates.

Compost for free:

Grizzly Peak Stables (known colloquially as “horse poo mountain”) offers free horse manure for the taking. Bring a truck and shovels. For information: 271 Lomas Cantadas, Orinda, CA 94563 or (925) 254-8283.
Free Compost Giveaway for Berkeley residents at the Berkeley Marina Maintenance Yard, 201 University Ave., Berkeley, the last Friday of every month. Bring a truck. For more information call (510) 644-6566.

Free compost giveaway at the Saturday Berkeley farmers market. Bring bags or buckets. Info for the March 2009 giveaway is at http://www.ecologycenter.org/calendar/event.php?eventID=28341.

Search Craigslist (www.sfbay.craigslist.org) and Freecycle (http://my.freecycle.org/) for giveaways.

Compost for sale:
Waste Management of Alameda County Davis Street Transfer Station Garden Center in San Leandro offers compost for sale, made from yard waste and food scrap recycling materials. Two varieties: Whole Earth ($27.59/yard; this is the kind City Slicker Farms uses) and Smart Grow ($31.26 yard). Bring a truck. For more information: http://www.dsgardencenter.com/gardencenter.asp or (510) 563-4212.

American Soil and Stone in Richmond offers compost for sale. Varieties include Wonder Grow (certified organic, $31.00/yard) and Walt Whitman (made of chicken manure, $33.00/yard). Bring a truck. For more information: http://www.americansoil.com or (510) 292-3000
Wood chips for free:

Call local tree care companies — they usually have wood chips to give away and will drop them off. Most require that you accept deliveries of a full truck load or a full ton.

Search Craigslist (www.sfbay.craigslist.org) and Freecycle (http://my.freecycle.org/) for giveaways.–
Julie Pavuk
Backyard Garden Coordinator

CITY SLICKER FARMS
Growing affordable fresh produce for West Oakland

* City Slicker Farms can’t survive without the support of people like you. Please take a moment to support us today: http://cityslickerfarms.org/Donate.htm

Phone: 510-763-4241 office, 510-501-4225 cell
Office: 1625 16th St., Oakland, CA 94607
For Farm locations and hours please call, e-mail or check our website: www.cityslickerfarms.org

PROGRAMS
–Backyard Garden Program
–Community Market Farms Program
–Urban Farming Education Program

Yeah, I thought so.

Come visit any time. I’m on the sunny side of the Bay. It’s good here. And when it does rain, it’s milk and honey.

I’m settling for the time being at least, in a fabulous loft in the Fruitvale area of East Oakland. I’ve slept here two nights and not heard a single gunshot, mom- don’t fret. (that *will* change, I’m sure)

I have great roommates and fabulous neighbors just down the hall, a great beau, and a community of new friends who already feel like old friends.

Aside from the nasty cold/flu thing I’m presently down with, all is well. I am looking forward to exploring my new neighborhood, and the extended neighborhood of the entire Bay area. It still boggles my mind that that water, right OVER THERE, is the San Francsico Bay! Finally.

It was hard, the weather was grueling. I learned a lot about myself that I wasn’t expecting to learn.  We laughed, danced, sweat, slept sometimes and had a riotously good time.